Home Faculty and Research Faculty by Name Alexander Glazer

Alexander Glazer

Professor of the Graduate School Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Research Interests

My longstanding interests have been in protein chemistry and structure-function relationships, enzymology, and biophysical chemistry. Past research encompassed studies of the assembly and structure-function relationships of macromolecular complexes (bacterial flagella, phycobilisomes), analysis of fundamental processes in light-harvesting in photosynthesis, development of fluorescent reagents for cell sorting, cell analyses, and detection of reactive oxygen species and of physiologically important antioxidants, reagents and methods for high sensitivity DNA sequencing and detection. Since January 1998, I have been the director of the University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS). The NRS manages 35 reserves that encompass about 135,000 acres across twelve ecological regions in California, one of the most physiographically diverse states in the U.S. The NRS supports research and teaching at all campuses of the University of California in a variety of disciplines that require fieldwork in wild ecosystems (see http://nrs.ucop.edu). As a result of this administrative responsibility, my scientific interests have expanded to include a broad spectrum of environmental sciences.

Current Projects

Because of time constraints, I no longer have my own research laboratory, but continue active collaboration on computational approaches towards unbiased identification of genes acquired by organisms through horizontal gene transfer and on developing indicators of ecosystem change through a detailed biogeographic study of moss genotypes. I am also exploring the role of protected natural areas in the detection and assessment of anthropogenic impacts on natural ecosystems.

Selected Publications

Quantitative exploration of the occurrence of lateral gene transfer by using nitrogen fixation genes as a case study. [K. Kechris, J.C. Lin, P.J. Bickel, and A.N. Glazer (2006)] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 9584-9589.

Cryptic species within the cosmopolitan dessication-tolerant moss Grimmia laevigata. [C.C. Fernandez, J.R. Shevock, A.N. Glazer, and J.N. Thompson (2006)] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 637-642.

Phycobiliprotein Fusion Proteins: Versatile, Intensely Fluorescent Constructs. [A.N. Glazer, Y.A. Cai, and A.J. Tooley (2004) Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 5329, pp.30-32]

Energy Transfer Fluorescent Labels for DNA Sequencing and Analysis [J. Xie, S.-C. Hung, A. N., Glazer, and R. A. Mathies (2003) In Topics in Fluorescence Spectroscopy. DNA Technology, Vol. 7, pp. 105-127 ed. J. R. Lakowicz. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, NY]

Biosynthesis of the Cyanobacterial Light-harvesting Polypeptide Phycoerythrocyanin holo-α-Subunit in a Heterologous Host. [A.J. Tooley and A.N. Glazer (2002) J. Bacteriol. 184, 4666-4671]

Finding Important Sites in Protein Sequences. [P.J. Bickel, K.J. Kechris, P.C. Spector, G.J. Wedemayer, and A.N. Glazer (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 14764-114771]

Roger Yate Stanier, 1916-1982: a Transcendent Journey. [A.N. Glazer (2001) Int Microbiol. 4, 59-66]

Natural Reserves and Preserves. [A.N. Glazer (2001) In Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. ed. S. Lewin, Vol. 4, pp. 317-327, Academic Press, San Diego]

Recombinant Phycobiliproteins. Recombinant C-Phycocyanins Equipped with Affinity Tags, Oligomerization, and Biospecific Recognition Domains. [Y.A. Cai, J.T. Murphy, G.J. Wedemayer, and A.N. Glazer (2001) Anal. Biochem. 290, 186-204]

Last Updated 2007-10-24